#is acting as if any and all superman film superman wasn't being superman

[zacksnydered]

new superman would have a sense of humor! new superman would be hopeful! new superman will share the american ideal!

[crow2222]

Book darry facts!!

He doesn't like films- thinks his life is enough without inspecting other people's.

Looks just like his father but acts the opposite of him.

People had always mistaken him and his dad as brothers instead of father and son.

Darry likes being teased by sodapop.

He was a real popular guy in school. He was captain of the football team, and was voted Boy of the year.

Him and Sodapop wrestle and tickle ponyboy out of bed.

Dally told pony "You ought to see Darry. He's takin this mighty hard" when visiting ponyboy at the church

Darry was the unofficial leader of their gang, since he kept his head best.

Not even Darry wants to tangle with Dally, he was dangerous.

He didn't cry at his parents funeral. Just stuffed his fists into his pockets and wore a helpless, pleading look.

Darry told the reporters Pony is in no shape to be yelled at so much and they slowed down because he's kinda big.

Darry and Sodapop had their pictures taken by reporters too, because they were so good looking.

Darry convinced the nurse to tell him whats Johnny's and Dallys condition.

Darry likes his eggs in a bacon and tomato sandwich.

He drinks black coffee.

Darry was convinced by sodapop and pony to let them eat chocolate cake for breakfast. It didn't take a lot to convince him: he loves chocolate cake as much as his brothers.

They never lock their doors, and when Two-bits mom tried to warn them about burglars, Darry just flexed his muscles so they bulged like oversized baseballs, and drawled that he wasn't afraid of any burglars.

He works two jobs at once and makes good at both of them.

The gang sometimes calls Darry "muscles" or "Superman". (earlier in the book ponyboy mentions his Superman qualities)

Darry had taken Pony to a doctor after his bad nightmares, and even after he stopped dreaming them, Darry would still ask if he dreamed anymore.

Darry sometimes calls Sodapop- PepsiCola, which was his dad's nickname for him.

He called Ponyboy Little buddy after the rumble, which was his nickname for Sodapop.

Darrys stricter with Ponyboy than their parents had been.

"The only thing that keeps Darry from being a Soc is us"

The Curtis brothers all eat like horses- Especially Darry. He had cooked two chickens before the rumble because of this.

Darry started shaving at 13.

Darry never had long hair. His was short and clean all the time.

Darry fights for pride.

Darry had taught the gang acrobatics after he took a course of it at the Y. He spent a whole summer teaching then everything, thinking it'd come in handy in a fight.

"He wasnt to be any hood when he got old. He was going to get somewhere. That's why he's better than the rest of us."

Darrys in better shape than most greasers. "This is partly because they dont eat much and partly because they're slouchy. Darry looked like he could whip anyone there."

Darry and Paul used to buddy it around all the time- Paul was the best half-back on Darrys football team.

"You could see he hated Paul now. It wasn't only jealously- Darry had a right to be jealous; he was ashamed to be on our side, ashamed to be seen with the Brumly boys, Shepards gang, maybe even us."

Darry and Sodaoop had never been beaten in a fight before.

Darry had pulled his armchair into Ponyboys room so he can look over him when he was sick after the rumble.

Darry checks Pony's math homework and catches all his mistakes- then makes him do them again.

Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy tied when running back to the house- they wanted to stay together.

[imagitory]

All right...for those of you who don't know my thoughts about Wish, yes, I wasn't happy with the finished result, but no, I'm not a hater. I'm mostly just disappointed that this project that had so many good ideas came out so half-baked, and THIS is a perfect example of what I mean.

No, it's not because "Star Boy" appears in it -- at least, not by itself. I do actually like Star's "himbo" personality in this, even if I also completely understand liking the idea of a mute version of the character. (The downside is that the mute Star from the finished film honestly doesn't have much personality outside of just being cute, in contrast to other mute magical Disney characters like Tinker Bell.)

No, the lost potential here is two-fold --

Firstly, I once again felt more emotion watching this storyboarded sequence than I did at any point in the finished film. I smiled hearing the fun banter between Star and Asha, insinuating that they're becoming closer despite their contrasting personalities; I felt some suspense in how Star and Asha were going to get away from evil!Queen Amaya; I even laughed pretty hard at the cat-and-yarn gag! I didn't laugh once while watching the finished movie.

Secondly -- and this point is actually the one I want to focus on more -- is the commentary given about why this scene was cut. I truly think another unspoken reason behind the decision was that this sequence was clearly inspired by the transforming chase scene in Nimona, which Disney of course infamously dropped when they closed Blue Sky Studios and later got picked up by Netflix, only to receive glowing reviews from just about everyone...but one of the core reasons that Head of Story Mark Kennedy cites for why they changed this scene (aside from wanting Star to be mute and not a shapeshifter like other Disney characters, which I'm a bit confused about because yeah, Disney's done cute, mute non-human characters before too -- what about Dopey, Pascal, Maximus, Dumbo, Bambi, Magic Carpet, Sven, and again Tinker Bell?) is that they wanted Asha to be the hero and be able to "solve all her problems" without Star's help.

Up to a point, I understand what Kennedy means -- the theme of the film is supposed to be that we all have the power inside of us to make a difference, and that's great. But by making it so that Asha doesn't need any help from Star, it takes something away from their relationship. No human is an island, and relationships, both in stories and real life, are often built on that fact. Just look at Ariel and Eric in the original Little Mermaid -- Ariel saves Eric from drowning and from Ursula zapping him with Triton's trident, and then Eric saves Ariel from Ursula by skewering her with the broken figurehead of a ship. Even in non-romantic examples, we have Judy and Nick having to help each other solve the case in Zootopia; Buzz and Woody helping each other get back to Andy in Toy Story; the Parr family and Frozone all fighting together against Syndrome's robot with their unique powers in The Incredibles; Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver working together to save themselves and everyone else at the end of Treasure Planet; even Anna helping Elsa learn how to control her magical abilities through an act of authentic, courageous, selfless love that only she can do in Frozen. These characters needing help and deep emotional connections with others is what creates a bond between them, helps the characters grow and change into stronger people, and makes us as an audience enjoy watching the two characters together. We become invested in both the two individual characters and the relationship forged between them. Because they all have their unique strengths and weaknesses, they supplement and complete each other. Even perfect paragon Superman in most DC properties isn't an island -- when he's in the Justice League, there are plenty of times where he needs help from Batman or other team members to save the day. Even Superman is a stronger character when he has people around him who can balance out his flaws.

If Asha never needs help, that runs the risk of the challenges she's facing seeming far less consequential, because no human can handle absolutely everything, all by themselves. Yes, perhaps in the finished film, Asha asks her friends to help her liberate the wishes (a task which ultimately fails, leaving Asha to confront Magnifico alone again and realize exactly what everyone has to do to defeat him on her own anyway)...but just in regards to Star and Asha's relationship -- which even the filmmakers have said is something like a "soulmate" relationship, though not in a romantic sense in the finished product -- these two can't have a meaningful connection if one of them is completely self-sufficient. This is also why quite a few Disney fans didn't like that the Little Mermaid remake changed Ursula's defeat to have it be Ariel who killed her, rather than Eric, because it hurt the "equal" dynamic between the main couple where they both helped and supported each other.

In short, "girl power" shouldn't have to mean never needing to rely on anyone else...and honestly, looking at this scene concept, we don't see Asha relying on Star too much! She's the brains of the outfit -- she's making plans; she's providing Star some much needed common sense; she's using Star's light as a distraction so they can get away...she even escapes Amaya at one point by sliding right under her horse! Asha in this storyboard is a bad-ass!

What we see in this sequence is these two characters having to help each other in order to succeed. And that would've been a great foundation on which to build more dramatic stakes and a relationship with actual pathos, whether romantic or not.

[falcqns]

Fame Dr: like what sort of things do you do, like acting/training for roles (like stunt training and stuff), photo shoots, premieres? How do you deal with the paparazzi? Do you ever get overwhelmed? I’m afraid I’ll find it super scary and not fun, I know I could script that stuff out but idk if I should

when it comes to training for roles, it just depends on the movie! here's my roles and what i did to prepare:

tv shows:

The Witcher S3: i did some sword training, and learned to ride a horse again (i used to be a horseback rider but havent ridden in years so it was nice to brush up on it!). i had a dialect coach as well as i needed a british accent lmao

The Orville New Horizons: no real training required, just read a few books that Seth recommended to me so i could understand what i was saying and met with Neil Degrasse Tyson with Seth as well and he answered any questions i had

Criminal Minds: nothing really, although i did take a refresher psych course, and met with a forensic psychologist and a profiler to interview them and get a taste for the work they had to do on a daily basis

Murdoch Mysteries: nothing! just team bonding really, which i did with all of them!

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: not my first marvel project but i sustained an injury during The Witcher shoot so i had to rebuild by core muscles a little. i also read the comics about my character.

Movies:

We're The Millers: no prep i literally showed up and did what my mom told me to do lmao

Knives Out 2: team bonding which was scary and i had just come off of The Witcher shoot (literally less than 18 hours after wrapping) and was exhausted but we all went out and partied. other than that, i met with Rian and rewatched the first one

Batman v Superman: oh dear lord. i put myself through literal hell for this role but i dont regret it. i was eating as healthy as i could and working out every day, plus fight training, and taking extra ballet classes to make sure my body was in the best shape it could be (shit was rough) so i could do my own stunts. met with Zack Snyder and read all the comics Kara is in. I only met with Henry once as despite being in the same film, we were only in 2 scenes together, and one of them i didn't talk so we barely connected (he literally forgot that we were in the same movie and thought they'd recasted the original actor for Justice League the big dummy)

Mama Mia Here We Go Again: i took some refresher vocal lessons since i've only ever sang praise songs in church.

Mockinbird: my first marvel project and it literally knocked me on my ass. i thought the training for Batman v Superman was rough, it was nothing compared to this and the sheer amount of time and choreography that goes into a single fight scene oh my gosh. when i wasnt training, i was reading every single marvel comic that had my characters parents in it, and was meeting with illustrators and writers because my character wasn't in the comics, but was actually an original character that took over the internet bc of a fanfiction in 2012, and they decided to add her in lol so that meant making new comics that fit into the mcu timeline and giving my character a back story before the movies. i also met with so many marvel executives, was constantly doing interviews and meeting new people and trying to adjust to script changes practically hourly. i literally couldnt move or speak when i got a break from filming. i loved every second of it though!

Spiderman No Way Home: had just finished filming Man of Steel 2 so no training needed physically, but rewatched my past marvel projects and reread some comics that Kevin told me to to remind myself of the character

Enola Holmes 2: read the Enola Holmes book series and a few Sherlock books. i also watched Sherlock Holmes (the one w rachel mcadams as she played my character before i did) but thats about it. Henry actually remembered who i was and recommended me for the role

Secrets of Dumbledore: wand training! i took a beginners latin course to help with pronunciation at the request of JKR

Multiverse of Madness: no retraining, finished filming NWH and went into preproduction for MoM immediately

Drawing With Light: re read the book, met with the author, and met with my dialect coach again

They Both Die At The End: met with the author and reread the book!

and ngl, i despise photo shoots. i hate them with a passion, but i power through because i know they're important, but other than for promo, i don't do photo shoots which can sound weird considering im working on a makeup line with Sephora but i chose to have my siblings model it instead (with their consent of course).

and premieres can be fun if you make them fun! the red carpet usually lasts for an hour or two before the movie actually starts, and (at least for me) i only ever do between 3 and 5 interviews on the carpet because anything else overwhelms me and i'll shut down. i spend the rest of the time talking to fans and taking photos, and i'll go into the theatre early to give myself a noise and speaking break before the movie starts, and then the movie starts, and its so much different from a regular movie screening. everyone stays until the end credits, every one claps for everyone, and not a single person gets up during the movie (u didn't hear this from me but my mom wears depends for premieres just in case). the director and executives and producers usually talk to the audience and thank them and things, and sometimes it happens before and sometimes i happens after. just depends on the timing and the studio really!

i fucking hate paparazzi. i don't hate the people bc i know they're just doing their job, but i find it a tad ridiculous they have to approach me while shopping for pads and ask me how i feel about Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian dating WHEN WE HAVENT BEEN TOGETHER FOR 3 FUCKIN YEARS. they can take photos of me all they want, i dont care. they can literally blast "ava aniston shops for period products at 3 am in dri fit shorts, puma socks, birkenstocks that are falling apart and a red henley that looks like it belongs to chris evans" all they want but to ask me about an ex's new relationship pisses me off and crosses a line. and dont get me started on the way they were when my grandma passed away because how dare i go get a coffee when i should be at home comforting my grieving mother 🙄

and i absolutely get overwhelmed. my dad has gone viral a few times because he doesnt hesitate to yell at the paparazzi when they cross a line or when he can tell i'm overstimulated. i'm very thankful that i have someone like my chrissy boy who can tell when i've had enough and am going to meltdown/shutdown and removes me from the situation (literally called his mom to come and get me in front of them because they all know not to mess w mama lisa and her babies)!

you can always script these things out, but i didnt, because it gives me a better appreciation for celebrities and the things they go through, and i personally think its a part of the experience. and messing with the press is kind of fun (in the middle of gaslighting them into thinking chris and i are married and we're having tons of fun with it) so just remember that its your dr and you can change whatever you want within reason!!

happy shifting and i hope this helps! <3

[plasticnightmaredoll]

So, the "Justice League" finally got its own movie, eh? Oh, that thing from 2017 was just trash. It's gone. We don't need to look at it anymore.

But in all seriousness, it's great people called out for the Zack Snyder cut of the movie and actually got it! And, yes, it is a vast improvement over the Joss Whedon cut.

Now, my feelings about the DCEU have been pretty divided:

I actually did enjoy "Man of Steel" and found Superman to be relatable and likable for once (I'm not a Superman fan and don't come for me)

"Wonder Woman" was very entertaining and easily the best entry for me in the movie series so far.

"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was a hot mess. Lots of good ideas but it was executed poorly. It felt kind of cheesy at times, especially that whole "Save Martha" thing. Jesse Eisenburg is not a convincing Lex Luthor. Ben Affleck is not a good actor and is a terrible Batman/Bruce Wayne. He's not as bad as George Clooney, but he's not much better either.

"Wonder Woman 1984" was a massive glow-down. Poor quality writing, Maxwell Lord was a weak villain, Cheetah was laughable, and the ending was so goddamn corny! Not to mention, it took ages for anything interesting to happen, and what was the deal with Steve Trevor possessing another dude's body? I mean...what?

Haven't seen "Suicide Squad" in its entirety but I do know and have seen enough to decide that it's a huge misstep. Haven't seen "Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" either but I have some interest in it so perhaps someday.

Haven't watched "Aquaman" but probably will eventually but I'm just not very motivated to see it. I like Jason Mamoa as Aquaman/Arthur Curry, but...I don't know. The trailers didn't really grab my attention.

The 2017 Joss Whedon version of "Justice League" was terrible -- worse than "Batman v Superman," worse than "Wonder Woman 1984." I thought the movie moved too quickly, lacked proper character development, and had some bad CGI (I mean, Mustache Gate, am I right?)

Onto the Synder Cut for "Justice League!" Spoilers ahead, of course:

These are really a collection of thoughts, opinions, and observations I had while watching the movie. I have only seen the 2017 film once and honestly don't want to watch it ever again, not even to "refresh my memory" of some details.

Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf was such a pitiful villain in the Whedon Cut. The CGI for him was terrible, and he looked like some weird dude in armor. His personality and motives were paper thin as well. He was a throw-away, token villain, and the only things memorable about him was his name and voice.

In the Snyder Cut, not only was Steppenwolf's CGI much more refined, his character design was imposing. His armor seemed to be alive, too, always shifting slightly, this way and that, which was an impressive sight. His motives, while nothing too deep or extraordinary, gave him a little more depth: he pissed off Darkseid and had to make up for it, and was clearly afraid of what could happen to him if he failed.

The name and voice obviously were still memorable but combined with the other improvements to his character, they were icing on the cake.

That being said, I don't think Steppenwolf is as intriguing or even remotely sympathetic as Loki and Thanos in the MCU.

Darkseid

Was Darkseid even mentioned in the Whedon cut? I can't remember and I don't want to watch that shitty movie again just to find out. However, I don't recall Darkseid making an appearance or even being spoken of in the 2017 version. Now, I haven't read DC (or Marvel) comics, so I don't know a lot about the guy, but he is supposedly one of the more iconic villains.

His motives are pretty simple, though: command and conquer. There isn't a lot of depth so far in the movies but he does pose a much larger threat than Steppenwolf did. You could tell Steppenwolf was intimidated by Darkseid, who was about as cold and menacing as they come. He's a complete villain in that regard, having no emotions and only seeking power for himself.

He looked great in the Snyder Cut. He was actually really fucking scary-looking. He made the beefcake Steppenwolf look like a puppy.

I'm glad that Darkseid made an appearance, even if he didn't fight the Justice League. It alludes to a much broader story, as well as foreshadows an epic boss fight down the line -- assuming the Snyder Cut is popular enough to convince the studios to make a direct sequel and not just abandon things in favor of some sort of soft reboot.

Superman/Clark Kent/Henry Cavill/Mustache Gate

Let's get this out of the way: Henry Cavill is hot af.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, hooray for Snyder for getting rid of those nasty reshoot scenes involving Henry's CGI'd mouth! Can't say I missed them, you know? I mean, in the 2017 Whedon Cut, you could always spot reshoot scenes based on whether or not Henry's mouth looked normal and totally strange.

I think the 2017 movie had Superman grab Batman by the neck and ask, "Tell me: Do you bleed?" I'm relieved that was removed from the Synder Cut because it added too much of an evil tone to Superman, and we could clearly tell he was most upset with Batman upon being revived.

One massive problem with the 2017 movie was that it made every member of the Justice League look like bumbling idiots without Superman's help. It was downright embarrassing and unrealistic. I mean, you're telling me that Wonder Woman, a goddess, can't take on Steppenwolf? Or Victor Stone, a cyborg with incredible abilities? Making Superman key to winning isn't the problem, it's how it was done in the 2017 movie. He's already OP but that shouldn't mean his comrades have to be useless in comparison.

Superman was allowed to be OP in the Snyder Cut without making his team look incompetent. Like in the Avengers movies, everyone in the Justice League had a purpose and all of them worked together to defeat Steppenwolf. Superman obviously was key to winning, but, again, it wasn't like he was the only capable one during the battle.

I did like the black suit. It's kind of ominous but also very cool at the same time. But is it also foreshadowing something? I don't know...I haven't read the comics so I really don't have any idea lol.

Batman/Bruce Wayne/Batfleck

One glaring issue I still have is Ben Affleck is a mediocre actor at best and he's a terrible Bruce Wayne/Batman. I mean, they couldn't have found anyone else? Someone with, like, good acting abilities?

Martian Manhunter

This whole time -- THIS WHOLE GOTDAMM TIME -- Martian Manhunter was hiding in plain sight! General Swanwick, who I remember from "Man of Steel," IS Martian Manhunter. I didn't see that coming. I mean, I knew Martian Manhunter would appear in the Snyder Cut but I didn't know he'd have an alternate identity, let alone that of an existing character in the DCEU.

As much as I did like seeing him, I am glad he didn't play a big part because the movie already has plenty of characters as is, and introducing yet another one could have slowed things down and taken away from developing the plot.

The Runtime/Pacing

I mentioned already that the Whedon Cut felt rushed and needed much more time to develop its characters and plot. While I had doubts about whether or not making "Justice League" four hours long would be a good idea, it turns out that it was just what the story needed.

Character development was actually existent, and Cyborg/Victor Stone received a detailed backstory, and Flash/Barry Allen got some extra tidbits added to his character's story/background as well.

I actually thought Victor was a fascinating (if a bit tragic) character in the Whedon cut and was disappointed that he just sort of, like, popped up and fought alongside the other Justice League members with the tiniest amount of depth.

Despite an epic 4-hour runtime, it didn't feel slow, nor did it feel like any scenes were "filler." Every scene had a purpose and kept the story moving at a steady, comprehensible pace. It felt more like a 2.5-3 hour movie, honestly, which is a feat since pacing can often be one of a film's biggest issues ("Avengers: Endgame" also accomplished this feat with its 3-hour runtime feeling more like 2-2.5 hours but with no negative side effects of that). Breaking the movie into chapters, including an epilogue was a tad strange because it's not a very common thing, but I think it helped break up the epic 4 hours into separate, manageable but still cohesive pieces. Also, they helped easily transition from one portion to the next smoothly without any awkward cuts.

The Flash/Barry Allen/Ezra Miller

Barry still amused me in the Whedon Cut. He brought some good-natured humor and charm to the movie, preventing it from being too brooding and intense.

I think Ezra is a talented actor and does well in the Barry Allen role but he is, unfortunately, a problematic person. I mean, if he gets recast, he gets recast but hopefully, they pick someone else who has some acting abilities worth noting (i.e. Not a Ben Affleck type of actor)

The Final Battle

It was a huge improvement over the 2017 cut, as everyone was key to winning the final battle, not just Superman. It is meant to be a team of costumed heroes defeating a villain, not just one OP member of the team outdoing everyone else.

That being said, I felt that the final battle was a little bit anti-climatic. I don't know what it was but I just thought that it would be longer? I expected more to happen? More fighting? Not sure how to describe it, but I do feel like it wasn't as impressive as it could have been.

The Epilogue

A dystopian future involving an evil Superman and Joker somehow working WITH Batman was just...crazy. I mean, evil Superman, I can believe, but Joker and Batman working together (even reluctantly) is quite a sight.

Based on what I've been reading, this nightmare Bruce has could be setting up not one but two sequels for "Justice League." I would like to see how things will play out even if things get kind of dark. I'm getting the impression that Darkseid will kill Lois Lane, thus breaking Superman emotionally and making him compliant. That is unless Bruce intervenes in this timeline and prevents that from happening...but at the expense of his own life. Oh dear...

I definitely enjoyed the Zack Snyder version of "Justice League," and would definitely watch it again and again and again. I already have forgotten the majority of the Whedon Cut, and after seeing Synder's version, I think the 2017 movie will be rendered null and void. I hope it is just expelled from the DCEU canon entirely. That, and we get the "Justice League" sequels, preferably from Zack Snyder (Say what you want but I think he is a pretty good director for the most part and seems to really care about this work).

I honestly want to see a fight between the Justice League and Darkseid because I think that's what we're trying to build up to, and seeing as how Darkseid is one of the legendary villains in the DC comics, I would be extremely disappointed if this doesn't come to pass.

Also, as much as I like Batman/Bruce Wayne, seeing him sacrifice himself to save the team, including Lois and thus Superman's sanity, would be something else. It would bring everyone even closer together, for one, and I think that the negativity shared between Batman and Superman in the past would be completely forgiven. I'm not saying there isn't forgiveness now, but dying to save Superman's wife would change everything....if that makes sense? Does it make sense? I'm terrible at explaining my thoughts sometimes.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Retrospective Review: Justice League

It is actually very interesting watching the theatrical edition of Justice League after having watched Zack Snyder's Justice League. When the theatrical movie first came out, there was always a bit of a question on what material was Snyder's and what was Whedon's. ZSJL acts as a guide in this way because Zack did not use any footage that wasn't his. I know that its almost blasphemous to say this now, but I actually don't hate the theatrical version of this movie. I'm not saying its good. Its thoroughly mediocre and reeks of studio meddling, but its watchably bad. I suppose part of it was that my expectations when watching the movie in theatres were super low after having disliked BvS and after the departure of Snyder and inclusion of Whedon, backed up by the story of Henry Cavill's moustache and Ben Affleck's departure. The film felt like it was a trainwreck waiting to happen. Whedon and Snyder also seem like two directors whose sensibilities are completely opposing.

The essential story of Justice League is the same as ZSJL. The film is still about the League forming to stop Steppenwolf from assembling the mother boxes and creating the unity. What this film does is remove all the setup for future movies and future storylines. All the Knightmare aspects of the movie, the potential future Darkseid conflict etc... is all removed from this film. The film also streamlines the characterization of all the Leaguers. Gone are the half a dozen cameos of characters like Vulko. The pacing of this film is very fast. Sometimes to its benefit and sometimes to its detriment. The benefit is that a lot of the repetitive tedium of the villain and of the characters dealing with grief is removed. It definitely is a significantly more upbeat film compared to BvS and ZSJL. There are also several elements that I actually liked and preferred in the theatrical edition. For example, I preferred how they handled Lois Lane in the theatrical edition compared to ZS version. Lois Lane in ZSJL seemed hapless whereas the theatrical version at least started coming to work. I also liked that her appearing during Superman's return was something Bruce planned as a contingency rather than it being a coincidence that she's there are the right time. I liked that the League actually has some conflict about using the mother box to revive Superman. Also, there is an acknowledgement of Bruce's frailties, both as a person and as a hero when he acknowledged that Superman was more human than he was and that he is just a human fighting in battles with superpowered being and his body suffers as a result. I also feel that the film got Superman mostly right. I liked his bright blue and red suit, especially given the black suit in ZSJL had no importance other than aesthetics, and his more upbeat personality on return, knowing he's got a second chance. I actually feel the film setup Superman for future movies perfectly and we could see a less broody Superman with Cavill going forward. The shortened run time also keeps the film moving. The film doesn't stop long enough to really dwell on some of the faults in the film.

But there are a lot of faults in the movie. While the film's help keeps the film moving, it also robs the film of much of the characterization. A lot has been said and written about what happened with Ray Fisher and Joss Whedon but his character definitely suffers because all of his characterization and backstory with his father is removed. Ezra Miller's Flash is largely the same, but his importance in the climax is reduced severely and we don't get a display of his abilities the way he does in ZSJL. He also gets some awkward humor that doesn't really work. Aquaman is largely a cipher in this film. He gets a big share of the film's humor, which works quite well and I was ok with him being light on backstory, with his solo film filling in the blanks in the following year. Wonder Woman is mostly the same. Batman is made to be a little too quippy at certain points. The reshoots are also very visible when it comes to Ben Affleck. He's obviously not in the physical shape for the character during the reshoots. Looking back on the film, it seems that Whedon essentially shot alternate versions of every scene, trying to inject some levity into those scenes. There are basically equivalent version of the same scenes in ZSJL. The special effects are also really poor for a movie of this size. The moustachegate on Henry Cavill is the most horrifying instance. I cannot believe that was allowed in a big budget superhero movie. But there are also effects in the climax that looks something out of a video game. Steppenwolf is another example of poor SFX. There are group scenes of the League, where its obvious that the actors are not in the same location at the same time. Its the sort of things that we don't expect from modern day big budget films and its quite shocking that this happened in such a prominent superhero movie. In terms of plot and action, the strength and weaknesses are the same as ZSJL. The villain and the villain plot is dumb and boring.

In terms of performances, Ben Affleck is fine, but definitely not as good as he was in BvS. He was obviously going through some personal issues at the time so I can forgive his mind not being 100% on the job. Gal Gadot is decent. Again, she has some poor line readings but she still looks badass. Ezra Miller was a little annoying and a bit too quirky here. I hope they tone him down in his own movie. Ray Fisher does a decent job with what he has and Jason Momoa is a highlight, being funny and a badass at the same time. Henry Cavill only appears in the last half and while he's handicapped by the CGI moustache, he's more likeable and upbeat than he was in BvS. Jeremy Irons, Joe Morton, Amy Adams, and Diane Lane round off the supporting cast well. Its a damn shame that with Affleck leaving the role of Batman and Cavill basically being MIA in the role of Superman, and Ray Fisher on the outs with WB, that we won't get to see this JL in an actual full JL movie where all the characters are present because the cast has all shown that they are good in the roles.

The Joss Whedon/Zack Snyder combination both doesn't work and works better than I thought. There is definitely visual and tonal inconsistencies across the film which stand out, but I actually expected it to be even worse than it was. As it is, the film just broke the DCEU in a way that it hasn't completely recovered from. Who knows when we will ever see another JL movie. For me, this ranks as a 4.5/10

[deepwoundsandfadedscars]

Hai ! Hope you're doing well :D I saw you reblogging eternals gifs ! I saw it yesterday and I loved it so wanna hear your thoughts about it if you want ! Who was your fav ? Fav scene ? Fave dynamic ! Did you like the movie

Hi! I'm doing well, thank you! I hope you are too <3

I did! I saw it in theatres a few weeks ago, I'll put my thoughts under a read more in case anyone is avoiding spoilers still~ also it got a bit long 😬

OK, so it's been a few weeks since I watched it, I think it was in December, so this review is entirely reliant on my shitty memory 😆 I keep saying I'll rewatch it now that it's on Disney+, but I haven't yet. I almost turned it on this evening but it was already 9 PM and when I clicked on it I remembered it's over 2 and a half hours long and that's not going to happen lmao it's a work night, I should be in bed well before the time it'd be ending

Who's my fav: Oh boy, I think I like all of them in one way or another, but if I had to pick one I'd say Ikaris (though Phastos is a close second). I like Richard Madden and I think he did a great job in the role, and as for the character like. the betrayal sucks but I can kinda see where he's coming from? He's just doing what he was created to do, plus I think it's fair to say he never fell in love with the planet the way the others did (to various degrees), like immediately after waking up on the Domo, Sersi is already marveling at the planet, commenting on how beautiful it is, but he barely glances at it cause he's already in love with her. And in the flashbacks he always focuses on her rather than anyone else around them, and in the end it's when he has to face her is when he falters and falls apart. The fact he has to fight her (and everyone else) hurts him more than what's going to happen to the planet, but he wasn't ever really there for the planet anyways. Which I realize doesn't give any justification for why I'd chose him as a favourite, but uuuhh. Ikaris hot and well acted, that's why. (also, hilariously, he's like 70% of the reason I need to watch it here at home cause I need subtitles to understand what he's saying half the time 😂😂 I hadn't seen him in anything before Eternals tbf and since then I've watched a couple other things, so I think I have a better grasp on understanding his accent so I probably wouldn't struggle as much, but still hahaha There's probably lots more I missed without subtitles, half the characters I only know their names cause I've been able to google them since then)

Fave scene: I liked both the fight in the jungle and on the beach, though that jungle fight is dark af, like where's the lighting budget on this film??? Anyways, both fights were really cool, and of course the whump 😏 Coulda been more!! But still good 👌

Fave non-fight scene though is probably when Sersi and Ikaris show up at Phastos place and he's like "ah yes. These are my friends. From ~college~." Ben: "ah yes. ~College~." And Jack being absolutely adamant that Ikaris is Superman was really cute. And then later when Ikaris blasts the doors to show the shield Phastos had up, somehow takes that as a sign that the whole house must be indestructible for some dumb-ass reason and breaks the table 😆😆 Even knowing that was coming because of the trailers, it still absolutely killed me

Fave dynamic: This ones tough cause there are so many great dynamics between them all!!! To my memory, especially so when Kingo was involved 😆 but there were more than a couple parts where it's not the main focus, but there's a conversation going on in the background and the combination of foreground acting and background conversation made me dissolve into laughter, like when they're newly back on the Domo and Kingo's trying to explain to Makkari what a Kindle is, and then realizes he'll have to explain what an iPad is too, meanwhile in the foreground Ikaris and Druig are having a stare down before quickly trading the Twinkies and the tablet.

Overall, Yeah I did like the movie! I wouldn't say it's my favourite, but probably still in my top 5 of the MCU (but worth noting I haven't seen No Way Home yet and it sounds like everybody else fucking loves it, we'll have to see if that affects my rating when I get around to seeing it lol) There were definitely parts that could've been improved on (*cough lighting cough*) and also the sex scene??? Why was that necessary at all???? idk man, could've been left out, shaved a few seconds off that long ass run time and it wouldn't have been missed imo

What about you?? What were your favourites??

[lily-orchard-gossip-blog]

Thank you, I actually didn't even try to write the dialogue believable, thanks for pretty high mark XD... Anyway, may the massacre begin. Analysis of the star wars top characters. (I will discuss it in parts since it is quite voluminous + I am not so familiar with the entire franchise as some people tbh)

To begin with, it is worth noting that the top Lily itself contains characters from completely different sources. Prequels, sequels, kotor and swtor. This is a complete mess, the universe of star wars has hundreds if not thousands of characters and placing them in one top does not seem to be the wisest decision. This is the first thing.

Second, what criteria does Lily use to judge good and bad characters? How well written they are, or how nice of a person they are? Well, more on that later.

5th best. Anakin.

I'm surprisingly agreed. The main problem of his character is in his perception, whitch is, Lucas's writing and Hayden's acting (for which Lucas is also responsible). Seriously, the main reason he is called a whiner because of Kristiansen's voice. In my native language he was made more masculine and emotionally stable, so many people still don't understand the anger and hate of English speakers about Anakin.

5th blandest kyle katarn

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the character, but if Lily's description is correct, I wont protest.

5th worst ezra bridger

In fact, I can understand Lily's opinion, but I cannot understand the location of the character in the top. Look, he is a fairly typical protagonist, he has no particularly remarkable characteristics (compared to Anakin's fall or Ahsoka's arc, etc.), but this is why I have another question... why put him in the top worst? Isn't it more logical to mark him exactly as bland, since he is a fairly ordinary protagoniste? What is his worstness? Ordinarity? Bad witing work? Thats actually important question for the future.

(By the way, there was also a mention that Ahsoka's story should already end and I ... let's just say i laught a little. If the character is good, then they, even having gone through their major changes earlier, can either drag the plot as a supporting character, or to be something like a superman, a character whom everyone (the audience) wants to be like, while the attention of the audience is riveted not so much to their development as to the situation in which character find themselves)

Well, it's a pretty good start, i was expecting worce tbh. To be continued.

Now that I think about it, she doesn't really set up any guidelines, does she? I don't think a lot of her fans have that much of an interest in Star Wars past the films, and maybe a few tv shows, and she doesn't talk about any of the supplemental material on her channel outside of Kotor and Swotor.

I think we both have things to say about how little she actually explains herself, but like you, I'll hold off on that.

Anakin being number 5 on the best list wasn't surprising, as I knew she really likes him. For me, I found he was only really good in the last movie (but that's because he was held back by bad writing and directing.), in terms of a tragic hero though, I can see why people like him.

Kyle Katar for blandest was weird to me, because I never heard of him before, and all this tells us is that the blandest list may just be full of filler characters from parts of the Star Wars universe that many casual viewers won't know about, and thus can't argue against. Outside of that, it's a shoulder shrug.

As for Ezra Bridger... it seems he just isn't popular. A lot of people who watched rebel found him annoying. I think Rebel's had some general writing problems though, so what should have been a pretty generic (if decent) protag, quickly got on peoples nerves. Though it seems most people want to know if he's dead, so who knows what happened in that show. 😂

And honestly, Ahsoka is fine. They use her sparingly in other media, and it's mostly because she's one of the few Jedi that the audience knows about that survived order 66. It makes sense to use her over anybody else, and it was fun seeing her in the Mandalorian.

I can't wait to read the next part!

[thecanadianowl]

Justice league Snydercut review

Wow talk about a long movie. Remember Mass Effect's 3 shit endings that were later improved (sorta) with DLCs. Well that is kinda how this movie is.

Before we start this, I just wanna say that I was very impartial throughout the whole snydercut movement. I wasn't part of it but I do see the good that they did in regards to some of their charities and with how the fandom itself has been painted in a negative light. So its good that they got what they have been demanding for quite some time. Snyder as director for me, I really am not the biggest fan of. His movies have some great cinematic moments that look amazing but the context around it is what muddles it for me.

Is it better than Whedon's JL? YES. To start I'll look at some of the things that I do like.

I do like how it was split into parts.  Gives it that miniseries/Comic book feel

Thank god they removed that stupid cringy flash landing on top of Diana's chest scene.

Darkseid looks good. I know some people have issues with it but I liked it. I mean looking at it first glance has me convinced its Darkseid. His voice isn't too bad either. Reminds me a bit of Injustice 2.

As much as I have issues with Darkseid being introduced so early I do like that he had a brief confrontation/glaredown with the League, foreshadowing a possible in person encounter and that the League needs to expand if they are going to fight against Darkseid.  

Steppenwolf's design has greatly improved and looks better than before.

Loved the scenes between Alfred and Diana.  Wish there was more of that.

I loved how the movie added Cyborg, Aquaman and Flash attempting to stop Superman from getting to Batman. I also liked how in this version,  Batman pleading to Clark's humanity telling him that world needs him and he needs to snap out of it.  Also bonus for taking out that scene of Batman on the ground groaning about how old he is getting.

Okay seeing Clark get the black suit and having the voiceovers of both his father's merge together works in terms of Clark's arc into becoming the person he was meant to be. Also like the use of Zimmerman's Ideal of Hope score wished they let it play out a little longer.  Probably my favourite moment in the film is where Superman just takes Steppenwolf's Axe like its nothing and freezes it.

Now to go into some of the more critical stuff that bugged me when watching.

For a movie that is 4 hours long, pacing issues were bound to happen. I think the first example of this can be found in the opening with the Superman scream wave (which started to get a bit hilarious when his screams could be heard every now and then) hitting all three mother boxes. they are shown individually reacting to it and it takes time, where it could have just showed them together or an compilation of each of the motherboxes waking up. I know it Snyder's thing but tone down on the slow mo. Like some instances its fine (like with bullet time or Flash's scenes) but other instances I'm just like alright I get it.

The scene involving Cyborg transferring money into that single mother's bank account. Is he gonna do this for all the people suffering just like her? or just for that one person? I mean if you can hack into the world monetary system, you can solve a lot of financial issues affecting  the majoirty and not just one person. Did I miss the scene but why did Cyborg go from helping one poor person, suggesting the potential good he can do to change the world for the better  to "Fuck the world". Seems a bit inconsistent in character. Especially since he knows who Diana is (from what he says)  and that Parademons are after the motherbox. Maybe her offering help, you should take it? idk Vic. Also the whole Auto defense system malfunction, would it not be better if this was established beforehand where we see Vic struggling to maintain his body's autonomy leading up to the Superman confrontation? Prior to that it seemed he had it under control and his biggest conflict throughout the movie seemed more to be with him coming to terms with his new body. With that being said, Cyborg's character here is much more interesting and better than it was originally. I can see why Ray Fisher is so pissed (well that and the abuse he faced).  I am glad this was improved and gave the character a lot more to do.

The movie still has the same issue as before in regards to the whole motherbox plot and how convenient it was that all three are located on earth. You would think that with the involvement of Darkseid/Steppenwolf that separating them to distinct locations across space would make it more difficult to collect them. I mean we know that the Green Lanterns exist (we saw one get chomped), you'd think that they or the guardians would take one and secure it on Oa. The pushback to this would be "well there was only one green lantern and he died, so how could they retrieve the box?" which begs my question, why send only one? I mean it has been established that Darkseid is a known conqueror of worlds, you'd think the Guardians would be smart enough to send more than one Lantern to aid Earth in their fight.  Did they not think it would be a good idea to have the corps be more involved/keep an eye on earth since it is the only planet that was able to repel Darkseid's forces?

Why is it that the best idea of security when it comes to humans is to bury it? Would it not be better in optics to look over it and know its location instead of dropping it somewhere on the off chance that someone might find it due to being  curious or the land changing/altering  making the box more easy to attain? A situation as dire/serious as this, you would think that the Amazons/Atlanteans would have been better prepped with armor/weapons for such an event. I mean you have the arrow of Artemis that shoots quite a distance to give Diana a message but not some kind of weapon that hurts/cripples Steppenwolf? Or better yet, how about the moment that the boxes started acting up after Superman's death, that Atlantis/Themiscarya would put aside any differences they had with one another and to the outside world to come together to secure the boxes?  How could Darkseid forget the name of the only planet that was able to force him to retreat? nor does he know that it harbors the anti life?

Did this movie break Aquaman's continuity? because from the dialogue between Mera and Arthur, its implied that Atlanna abandoned/left Arthur at Tom's doorsteps whereas in the movie,  we see Atlanna spend a couple of years with Tom and raising baby Arthur before she was forced to come back. You'd think Zack being a producer for the Aquaman  movie would have edited that line or made it more clear. Well that or James Wan F'ed up when making the movie.

"I've never seen a being as strong as Steppenwolf" Did Diana just forget Ares aka the god of war who killed the Greek Pantheon/Old gods and orchestrated the first World War? Hell from the looks of the flashback it seemed Ares (I'm assuming its Ares, if its Hades, my bad) was getting some good hits in on Darkseid, who is superior to Steppenwolf.  While we are on the topic of Diana, it's a bit odd that Snyder who  was a producer on WW84 where one of the biggest focuses on the movie that Patty Jenkins talked about was how Diana doesn't solve her problems with violence (even though her primary weapons in this movie are a sword and shield but okay. Then again New 52 hasn't done a good job in disproving that), yet in this movie we see her using her gauntlet smash to fucking kill the one remaining terorrist. Like sure you can argue that they were terrorists and deserve to die, but given how easy and quick it was for her to take out the previous guys, why do something that runs the risks of destroying the very building that you are in (with hostages). I mean from the look of the blast and how much debris fell from the building outside, and it was a miracle no one (but the terrorist) got hurt/killed.

Why did Steppenwolf  kidnap  them in the first place? Just use that mind extracting device you used on the Atlantean soldier to see if they know. Seems like a waste of time to collect them in one location only to interrogate them later.

Okay, I'm sorry but even in this cut I still don't like Miller's Barry Allen. He isn't as bad as he was in the theatrical cut but man does it stick out. When he is helping to escort the kidnapped civilians out, why doesn't he just grab them and transfer them to a safe distance? He even makes a comment about how slow they are going. Can I also just say how weird it is for Barry to take time saving Iris to caress her hair and look at her more creepily in slow mo? Like yeah its in slow mo but still I think your priority should be to get everyone to safety as quick as possible and check if anyone else could get hurt.  I will admit that Barry's speech as he is running so fast to reverse time at the end was really good. Tho the more I think about all the slow mo Flash scenes are good.

They still kept the "Let's use the mother box to bring back Superman plot". Why? This is a piece of tech that you don't fully understand how it works and you are going on the whims of someone you just met. Especially if they come back as a different person/mindset all together.  If Superman 's death was the reason that allowed for the Mother box to call to Steppenwolf/Darkseid, what the hell were they doing prior to Superman's arrival on earth? I mean we've seen how easy it was for Steppenwolf to attain the two boxes even if they were guarded, so why the wait ?. I get that Batman is going through an arc and trying to change from the person he was but how does go from "1% chance of absolute certainty" to "let's go on a whim and have faith" when it comes to resurrecting Superman? 

Its gonna be awkward as to how Clark will explain his sudden return from the grave around the same time Superman came back.

I was wondering when the Knightmare scene will play out. Jared leto's Joker isn't over with me, it seems way too try-hard to be edgy. Other than that yeah, not much I can say about it. Tho do we seriously need another iteration where Superman (or someone with Superman like powers) is evil?

I also love how nonchalant Bruce is about J'onn appearing in front him. However the revelation that J'onn was that army general all the time breaks so much of continuity (and just why now did you decide to show up and help and not idk the time Zod invaded and nearly  terraformed earth, HELL WHY TF DIDN'T SHOW UP TO HELP THE LEAGUE IF YOU KNEW ABOUT DARKSEID, I'M SORRY TO RAG ON BUT REALLY THIS CAMEO JUST OPENS UP SO MANY QUESTIONS, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE AN "PALPATINE WAS BEHIND THIS ALL ALONG" KIND OF THING ).

In terms of getting a sequel, I am not sure if WB is going to go through with it given that their current vision seems to be a different route than the one Snyder intended so who knows. Despite my criticisms I do believe this is Snyder's best DCEU film to date and probably one of his better films. You could tell that he put in a lot to make this. The movie itself does have issues mostly due to the plot surrounding the motherbox as well as pacing. I would say it's worth the watch at least once, though I think its best to watch it in doses rather than one sitting. Ultimately this is the version that we should have gotten and I can see why so many people who were supportive of Zack wanted or vouched for him to finish it. Regardless, I think the very least I am happy for Snyder. If you like Snyder's previous stuff, you will like this one, if you don't, your perception of the film won't change significantly other than some cool bits here and there.  

[thoughtsofara]

What does it take to be a hero?

Since I was a child, I've been hearing my playmates say things like "When in trouble, call Superman" and "He will come and save me because he has powers". Some even imitated him and said "I will be there! Just call my name!" That's why I grew up thinking that the title hero" is only for someone who has powers, who can fly, and who can crash things out.

However, as I grow old, my hopes that heroes like Superman would save me one day when I need help the most also started to vanish. In fact, I became more curious as to why and how these people or individuals are being called as "heroes". I would wonder, "What does it take to have the title "hero?" or "Can anyone just do good things and then wait for God to notice your right doings in order for Him to trust you with the gift of powers that you can use to save people?" Of course, no one would know the exact answer because no one actually knows when someone can be or is already a hero. Good thing that movie and myth about Hercules exist because as of the moment, if I would be asked to explain my take on how I view the process of being a hero, I would definitely start and finish with Hercules' story. Additionally, I would back it up with the Hero's Journey which I probably would never know existed if I didn't take English as my specialization. (Shout out to all my Literature professors out there!)

Disclaimer: I am no fan of Greek Mythology, but I love Disney films which means my take will only be based on its 1997 movie version.

As far as I remember, a hero's journey starts with Ordinary World wherein the hero is born in his/her own world or the world where s/he is expected to bloom and mature. As for Hercules, it all started when he was born on Mount Olympus. He was such a cute and loving baby and I definitely foreseen him being a fine man when he grows old because he is a God.

However, when Hades entered the story, that's when things started to go blurry for Hercules and his parents, Zeus and Hera. The little baby became semi-mortal and ended up growing in the land of the mortals. It wasn't an easy task, of course, especially that the boy and his mortal parents didn't have the idea that he's from Mount Olympus. So when he is told that he's from Mount Olympus, the call to Adventure happened. He began searching for answers as to how true the rumors about him are. He then finds the temple with a huge statue of Zeus and was lucky enough to finally talk to him. Zeus then answered all his questions, but didn't entertain his urge to go up Mount Olympus. Hercules was tasked that in order to do that, he must first prove that he is a hero.

There wasn't any Refusal of the Call because Hercules is a very active and positive man. He is always so full of courage that he didn't view what Zeus said as a challenge, but rather a step in order to set foot to Mount Olympus. Of course, a hero wouldn't be a hero itself if there wasn't anyone who motivated him/her throughout his/her journey. Meeting the Mentor happened when Hercules took Zeus advice to meet Philoctetes or Phil and ask him to mentor Hercules just like how he did to the past heroes that he has mentored. It took just a little while for Phil to be persuaded by Hercules and the adventure continued.

After long moments of training, Phil decided that Hercules shall now apply what he has learned from him in an actual event. This is when Crossing the Threshold happened. The three, including Pegasus, headed to Thebes which is a city who is very much in need of a hero. The Test, Allies, and Enemies were also evident in this event because Hercules had to take down the beast in the cave in which he met because Meg fooled him that two kids have been trapped in there. This was his first big test and the first time that we will prove his heroism to other people. Approach to the Inmost Cave then happened as Hercules strived to continue his training while also defeating the monsters that Hades threw in his way. The Ordeal happened quickly when Hercules agreed to what Hades offered: his strength for the release of Meg. He willingly accepted it in order to save the love of his life, but Meg died after saving Hercules from the Titans that had awakened.

Reward happens when Hercules goes to the Underworld to rescue Meg's soul and it is the Road Back when he successfully rescues Meg's soul without dying. By saving Meg, Hercules finally showed an act of heroism. He can now finally live with the Gods in Mount Olympus. This can be related to the Resurrections. As for the Return with Elixir, this is when Hercules, after thinking very hard, decided to stay mortal because he thought that being a God is nonsense if the love of this life, Meg, won't be by his side. He was blessed with Zeus and Hera's permission to pursue what his heart tells him and the film ended.

This is such a good example of how heroes become and succeed. We must teach children that challenges are part of everybody's lives and this is how we become a hero of our own. We don't need to have powers or whatnots in order to become a hero because even just by having the hope to survive is actually very commendable. I'll end this by sharing the quote that I stumbled upon while searching information about being a hero and I hope that if you ever see this and reach the end of this blog, this quote will inspire you just as much as it inspired me.

"Being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed." -Rick Riordan

Reference:

https://blog.reedsy.com/heros-journey/

[theheavymetalmama]

Soooo...Jason Momoa told a little kid that Superman wasn't in Justice League because he was dead, DC is making a Superman Year One comic with Frank Miller as the author, they're making a two-part animated movie based on "the Death and Return of Superman," and rumors are flying around that Supergirl is going to be in Justice League. Oh, and the Justice League trailer dropped. Your thoughts?

That’s a lot to take it. Let’s start with the big one. New Justice League trailer!

Sorry guys, still don’t like it. Granted, it doesn’t look as bad as the previous trailer made it look, but it still looks massively underwhelming. Hell, the only character presented I even like is Wonder Woman, because she’s the only one who’s been established.

Well, established in a good movie, at least.

The rest consist of a Batman who belongs behind bars just as much as any of his villains and three other characters we’re meeting for the first time fighting a villain that nobody gives a shit about, which could be forgiven if the characters were interesting but again Batman’s an asshole and we don’t know anything about Aquaman, Flash, or Cyborg yet. And am I the only one who cringed at Cyborg’s line? Not the line itself, but the flat, robotic delivery. Good god, they took one of the most expressive and emotional live-wires in comic book history and turned him into Arnold from Terminator 2, but without the charm and charisma.

I’m also not looking forward the role the Amazons play, which appears to be them being in the movie for the sole purpose of Steppenwolf to kill/mop the floor with them. Yeah, take the place and characters everybody who watched Wonder Woman fell in love with and just wipe them off the face of the Earth in their second appearance. No way there’s going to be any backlash from that!

Honestly, I could write an essay’s worth of things in the trailer that irked me, but topping that list are these lines from Batman.

“Superman was a beacon for the world. He didn’t just save people, he made them see the best parts of themselves.”

Let’s forget for a moment that Superman has only been in two DCEU movies and you can count on one hand how many times he was shown in a heroic light. Let’s forget for a moment that Man of Steel and especially Batman v Superman spent more time hammering into audiences skulls that more people in this world are afraid of Superman than there are people who see him as a hero. And let’s forget for a moment that this Superman has spent more time feeling sorry for himself than he ever did being the symbol of hope the movies tried and failed miserably building him up to be.

Let’s instead take into account that these lines are coming from Batman. Oh yeah, Superman totally brought out the best in people. That’s why after the disaster in Metropolis, you took a deep breath, composed yourself, and reached out to him to see what he was really about before jumping to conclusions and-oh wait, no you didn’t, you obsessed over him for over a year and decided to straight-up murder his ass, you fucking hypocrite!

Seriously, what the fuck, WB? You spend two whole movies shitting on Superman, the people who love him, and his legacy, and now you’re trying to save face by saying that he brought out the best in people when you’ve only shown the BAD things that happened because he exists? Fuck off. No, seriously, fuck right off. You have to EARN that shit, which you fucking didn’t because you killed Superman before anybody could connect with him and threw the entirety of “The Death and Return of Superman” right under the bus in the last 20 minutes of a Batman movie! I honestly don’t know what’s worse. That Batman is being portrayed as a stupid and hypocritical murderous asshole, or that said stupid and hypocritical murderous asshole is leading the team that Superman is supposed to be the leader to!

Ugh, FUCK everything! But let’s move on, shall we? Frank Miller is writing Superman: Year One.

The very idea of Frank Miller writing any solo-Superman story makes my skin crawl. The fact that the same guy who turned Superman into Ronald Reagan’s personal attack dog who can’t read and raped Wonder Woman is retelling Superman’s origin story? Ugh. Just thinking about that makes me feel like I need to jump into a swimming pool filled with bleach and then get buried up to my neck in rock salt!

Let’s all just put aside that Frank Miller is a racist and misogynist scumbag who hasn’t written anything good since Robocop vs the Terminator. Let’s instead take into account that the man has been writing comic books for 40 years now and has written Superman several times, and every time he’s portrayed him as stupid, boorish, and incompetent while going out of his way to have Batman humiliate him in some way, shape, or form. Yes, I know, Miller has said that he actually likes Superman and only wrote him that way because the story was from Batman’s perspective and that he actually regrets writing him as a government tool, yeah, I don’t fucking believe him. He’s had dozens if not hundreds of opportunities to show Superman in a positive light and he’s never done it. He’s never done it before, so why would he now? The only time Superman has ever been portrayed with any semblance of who he actually is in a Frank Miller work was in Dark Knight III: the Master Race…you know, the one book in the series that Frank Miller didn’t write! Oh, but he wants to write part IV, so great, he’ll get to shit on Superman one more time before he either retires or his diseased liver and STD-ridden body do him in. “Oh, but Katie, he has cancer!” So? He’s still an asshole!

Well, that was grim. Let’s talk a little bit about Jason Mamoa telling a little kid that Superman was dead.

Okay, in the interest of fairness, I don’t think Mamoa had any malicious intent. I’m sure he was just caught up in the moment and wasn’t thinking straight, especially when he apologized to the same kid during an autograph signing that followed the panel. It was still a dick move on his part, but whether or not he gave it some thought, his fellow cast members told him “dude, that’s a little kid,” or his PR guy said “Look Mamoa, Warner has done a fine job of alienating Superman fans all on their own, they don’t need you helping. Now if you want to shrug off being typecast as an uncouth barbarian you’d better stop acting like one and say you’re sorry!” I’m glad he realized it was a dick move and took it back. I’m sure the fact that WB still wants to convince us that Superman is really dead wasn’t helping either. Speaking of which…

The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen are getting animated adaptations.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, this was one of the stories I said deserved a faithful animated adaptation. Yes, some aspects don’t hold up anymore, but they can be worked around. This is also not the first time the story was adapted, as “Superman: Doomsday” was what kicked off the string of animated DC movies. But it was also very watered down and may as well have been called “Superman: the Clone Saga.” So the fact that they’re making a two-part animated adaptation should be good news…

Having said that, let’s get real. If they genuinely wanted to make a faithful adaptation of ‘The Death of Superman,’ they would have already. I can’t shake the feeling that the only reason it’s even being made is because Warner and DC realize that shoe-horning Doomsday into the end of BvS only succeeded in alienating Superman fans and they need to save face, not helped by the fact that the last animated solo-Superman movie they made, Superman Unbound, came out in 2013. Everything else since then has been either a Justice League movie or a Batman movie. Oh sure, Superman was in some of them, but the only one where he had anything resembling a leading role was in Justice League: Gods and Monsters…the alternate universe story where Wonder Woman is from space, Batman is a vampire, and Superman is the son of General Zod and his capsule lands on the US/Mexico border right as some refugees are crossing because apparently the writers felt that Superman being an alien just wasn’t quite on the nose enough.

Now I know what you might be thinking. “Okay, so maybe they didn’t make it as soon as you would have liked, but they’re making it anyway so what’s the problem?” The problem is the possibility that they’re making this not because they want to or feel that it’s a story worth adapting, but again just so they can save face for those of us Superman fans who felt alienated at the conclusion of Batman v Superman where the entirety of the story was boiled down to “Lex Zuckerburg creates Nuclear Man 2.0 and Superman gets stabbed to death at the end.” And a movie that nobody wants to make tends to be a movie that nobody wants to see.

That’s to say nothing of the fact that DC animated movies…well, they just haven’t been very good lately. Ever since their Flashpoint film, the movies have ranged from okay to outright bad. Justice League: War sucked, Son of Batman was obnoxious, Assault on Arkham was good but not great, Throne of Atlantis was a snooze-fest, Batman vs Robin sucked, Gods and Monsters was okay, Batman: Bad Blood had a good movie in it that was bogged down by the writers putting Batwoman’s story on the back-burner and insisting Dick and Damian arguing had to be on the forefront, Justice League vs Teen Titans could have been good if they didn’t put the least-interesting character Damian Wayne center-stage for no goddamn reason, Justice League Dark was hot garbage, Judas Contract was lame, and the less said about The Killing Joke the better.

In short…I hope it’s good, but given previous movies and the circumstance, I’m not holding my breath.

EDIT: Forgot about Supergirl apparently appearing in Justice League. I hope she kicks Batman’s ass. It’s long overdue somebody took Batman down a peg and I can think of worse motivations than “You got my cousin and only other member of my race killed,” as well as providing catharsis for Superman fans given he landed a grand total of two fucking punches in the title fight of Batman v Superman. Other than that, I don’t really care. Her inclusion can’t make the movie anymore troubled than it already is.